It is being authoritatively reported in Hong Kong that the search for a leader of the turbulent West Kowloon cultural district has narrowed down to one.
Five players from the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, locked out by their government, have taken their case to prime-time television with a fizzing performance of Mozart’s clarinet quintet.
Viola: Christine Bara
Cello: Nicolas Rossi
Clarinet: Carlos Fernandez
I have been invited to a film preview and am all a-twitter with excitement. The film has been made by the Heir to the Throne and it’s about a composer he really, really likes. He’s going to tell us why, for about an hour, I guess.
A cello student at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama was looking around one day, wondering what he could do with all these wonderful talented people he was meeting.
Violist, Cleveland Orchestra
NMSO, an Underfunded Jewel, Deserves Your Support
From 1987-1990, it was my great honor to serve as assistant principal violist of the
New Mexico Symphony Orchestra. I have since moved on to serve as principal violist of
the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra and am now in my 16th season with the Cleveland
Orchestra, an ensemble called by many reviewers as one of the three great orchestras in
the world, along with those in Vienna and Berlin. But this is not about me, I am merely
mentioning my qualifications for voicing my particular opinion.
After not having heard an NMSO concert in years, I was back in town visiting family
and was fortunate enough to attend the Feb. 26 performance. I was deeply moved and
impressed by the concert, start to finish.
Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms featured the NMSO Chorus. If forced to choose
between the Cleveland Orchestra Chorus and the NMSO Chorus, I’d take the one in
Albuquerque. The Liebermann Concerto for Flute and Orchestra featured Valerie
Potter, the NMSO’s principal flute. I have never heard finer flute playing. The Beethoven
Symphony No. 3 featured impressive blending, ensemble and intonation in every section
of the orchestra. I have performed this piece dozens of times and found Maestro
Guillermo Figueroa’s interpretation fresh and exciting.
No, I am not a trained music critic. The point I’m trying to make here is about the
tremendous quality of what I heard.
What is striking to me is how much the Cleveland Orchestra and the NMSO have in
common. Both are composed of world class musicians who have dedicated their lives to
the art of music and to the city in which they live.
The casual listener might be hard pressed to hear the difference between the two, yet
the annual budget of the Cleveland Orchestra is 10 times that of the NMSO. Are there
NMSO musicians gifted enough to leave and play in major orchestras elsewhere?
Absolutely! Yet for the love of Albuquerque, they choose to stay.
Cleveland is referred to as “the mistake by the lake.” Forbes Magazine recently called it
the most miserable place to live of all major U.S. cities. Yet with a dwindling population
and an exodus of major corporations, the city still supports its beloved orchestra.
Wretched news from the English shires. One of the country’s best youth orchestras gave its last concert this week, after a lifeline of local authority funding was cut off.
Saturday the 16th April, marked one of the saddest days of my professional life. As an alumni of Beds Youth Orchestra and a professional violinist, I have watched in disbelief at its plight over the last couple of months, a downfall that culminated on Saturday night. The evening concert that took place at the Bedford Corn Exchange was the Swan Song for one of Britain’s finest and oldest youth orchestras. In perspective, this is an orchestra that could not only boast alumni in every professional orchestra, or one that could proudly talk of tours to Russia, The Czech Republic, Budapest, Cyprus, Italy, it was also an orchestra that gave performances of Mahler Symphonies that would please many seasoned bands, and one that was also broadcast on radio 3. In short this was no ordinary Youth Orchestra, this was a gem, a national treasure.
Beds Youth Orchestra can also boast some fairly successful alumni: I if I could take a moment to name just a few, you will see why the impact of this will be felt through the music world, and will have repercussions on our musical world forever.
Andrew Manze international soloist was there first leader in the early 1970’s.
David Hext Principal percussionist with the Halle Orchestra.
Michael Hext Principal Trombone ~ Royal Opera House.
Philip Hesketh is currently Musical Director of the London Children’s Ballet.
Greg Malcangi is now a BAFTA nominated composer/producer of music for TV/Film.
Andrea Quinn was until recently Musical Director of The Royal Ballet, and is now Musical Director of the New York City Ballet.
Leslie Pratt a producer for BBC Radio 3.
Christopher Yates Principal viola with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.
Sam Walton Young Musician of the year finalist
Judith Templeman Associate concertmaster RPO
Brendan Thomas Horn player BBC
Catherine Templeman Orchestral manager ECO
Ben Lane Scottish Chamber Orchestra in Edinburgh.
And this is just a snapshot of perhaps the most high profile former students. You can go into almost any orchestra in the UK and find someone whom used to play in Beds Youth Orchestra. For myself, I can say without hesitation, that without Beds Youth Orchestra I would not have achieved what I have, the opportunities to study at the RNCM, to go to the USA and join a professional quartet would just not of happened.
What does this say for our country, and our present Conservative led Government? That they could allow such a resource to be lost, and lost forever?I have repeatedly written to Michael Gove about this, with no real response, for their part the Government seems to be saying that this is a local decision, by the local council. Which indeed it is, but how can the Government allow this to happen?This is part of wider cuts, in
fact Beds Youth Music has been completely cut from this August, the council want music to this awful phrase “cost neutral”! Again this is a travesty of the highest order, unless we have music services then our music profession stands no chance, and again this was not any ordinary youth service, it was the best one. It embraced the triangle principal, namely that you need to have thousands of children starting an instrument to get maybe a 100 that are any good, and only one or two that go on to do it as a job. Coupled with outstanding teaching and a dedicated team this is what Beds Music did so well for years. Each holiday was packed with courses, 5 orchestras, 3 bands a Jazz Band a Youth Choir a Youth Opera a Chamber Music Course with the Magginni Quartet, all of which is now largely gone.
It is with great sadness that I write this letter, and I am not sure how much I can do, but at the least I think the country deserves to know that this butchery is happening.
Yours in Disbelief
James Dickenson
Louis Cross
A month ago I reported that pianist Helene Grimaud was on the move to IMG.
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I’ve received a letter from the Philadelphia Orchestra, urging me to offer financial support in these difficult times. Although couched in the smarmiest PR-speak and promising a wonderful future, everything about the letter is wrong. It announces that the company has sought bankruptcy protection and is therefore in deep trouble. It announces no change of management or policy or anything. It is therefore asking me to throw good money after bad.
The Austrian Embassy has invited me to a dinner to announce the most exciting event to hit Salzburg since Herbert von Karajan discovered botox.
Where: Austrian Embassy, Belgravia, Main Entrance,
London
On behalf of SalzburgerLand Tourism and Salzburg
Tourism it gives me great pleasure to invite you to a press gourmet dinner at
the Austrian Embassy, London, taking you behind the scenes of Salzburg’s
cultural top events this year.
MUSICAL HIGHLIGHT
2011
On 23rd October 2011, Salzburg celebrates a very special event
– the Salzburg Landestheater hosts the beloved musical “The Sound of Music” on
stage in Salzburg for the first time in history!
Leo Bauernberger, CEO
SalzburgerLand Tourism, Gunda Bleckmann, Salzburg Tourism and Dr. Carl Philipp
von Maldeghem, Intendant Landestheatre Salzburg, will be there to provide you
with information. What’s more, entertainment will be
guaranteed with a surprise artist to guide you through the evening.
Nigel Kennedy? So 20th century…
While the Philadelphia Orchestra enters Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the Syracuse Symphony goes out of business and the Brazil Symphony Orchestra is put on ice, spare a thought for the orchestral musicians at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires, whose strike was supported last month by no less than Placido Domingo.
My name is Carlos Fernandez, clarinet and bass clarinet at the Orquesta Estable, Teatro Colon
Here is an update on Teatro Colón. Both its orchestras, Orquesta Estable and Buenos Aires Philharmonic have been asking for a raise since last year. The Director and the Major not only refused to listen to their demands for better salaries and proper working conditions (the 150 million dollar renovation is not finished yet, the Theatre does not cover instrument insurance and maintenance, etc.), but when the strike started they decided to file a lawsuit for $14 million U.S. dollars against eight union representatives (four orchestra musicians, three choir members and the theatre’s official photographer) and started the administrative procedures for their dismissal instead. Tickets for performances at Teatro Colón are in the same price range as world-class operas around the world but the musicians’ salaries are barely around $1.300 USD a month. The prices were unequally raised since the last season at the Theatre in 2006: orchestra seats sell for $300 USD, 144% more, and standing tickets for $10 USD, 700% more than before.
The strike started last year at the end of the season when a government representative said that there were no plans for a raise in the 2011 budget. The director decided to start the new season without the orchestra, and staged Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre with two pianos and percussion. Placido Domingo visited Buenos Aires for a recital at Teatro Colón and outdoors, the orchestra refused to play at the Theatre but agreed to play in the streets, as a good will gesture to Domingo and the people, asking the government to start a proper negotiation. When Domingo left 41 musicians on yearly contracts were were fired on the pretense that they were not permanent staff and if the permanent staff was on strike they were not needed.
The f
our key points for negotiation are: 40% raise, withdrawal of the millionaire lawsuit, no layoffs, no punishments (some members of the orchestra reported that their salaries showed discounts for the days on strike). A few meetings with government officials (the Director of the theatre not included) followed, but they have not reached an agreement.
Moreover, the government announced the 41 musicians would be hired again if the orchestra lifted the strike. The strike is “on hold” but not officially lifted, so they started rehearsing. At this time the 41 musicians are working for free, they have not signed their contracts and have not perceived their salaries.
On top of that, we have heard that the Director has contacted the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra to play the next title in our season, The Magic Flute. At this point it is clear that they have the money to hire a foreign orchestra, pay their fees plus all the traveling, cargo, hotel accomodations, etc. but they are not willing to give the local orchestras a raise. The only reason behind this could be either the idea to dismantle one or both orchestras, in order to make suspicious expensive contracts with foreign orchestras, agents and third parties.
Placido Domingo once stated that Teatro Colón was one of the few opera houses around the world that could produce everything in house, it was a self sufficient theatre-factory. The workshops are not back at the historic building, the renovation plans reduced the production areas around 60%, even the dressing rooms areas were redesigned for less musicians, singers and dancers than our permanent staff.
We would like to call international attention to this, Teatro Colón has historically been the most important opera house in Latin America, our heritage as a public theatre with in house production, permanent staff, open and accessible for all citizens is at risk.
Thank you very much.
There were broad grins all over Munich on Friday.